Natural latex-glycerol dressing to reduce nipple pain and healing the skin in breastfeeding women.

BACKGROUND: Nipple pain is the second most common reason for early weaning, exceeded only by the insufficient milk supply. Nipple fissures can bring other problems, acting also as a portal for bacteria and leading to mastitis. This work proposes the breast protector composite development using materials with tissue repair and moisturizing properties, aligned with a low-cost procedure, aiming not only to relieve pain, but also to heal the nipple fissures caused by breastfeeding.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the dressings, production was used Natural Latex extracted from the rubber tree and glycerol. The Samples were evaluated chemically and physically by the techniques of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mechanical traction, and contact angle. The samples were also biologically evaluated by the hemolytic and cytotoxic activity assays.

RESULTS: From the physical-chemical assays, the matrix with glycerol has high pore density; the natural latex and glycerol do not covalently interact, indicating that the glycerol can be released; the glycerol addition makes the matrix more elastic but fragile, and increase the wettability. From the biological assays, both materials showed no hemolytic effects; and the cytotoxicity results showed that glycerol did not present cytotoxicity in the fibroblasts, but show a dose-dependent influence in the keratinocytes.

CONCLUSION: The material developed for application in breast fissures has mechanical properties similar to those found for materials for dermal applications, present high wettability and pore density. Furthermore, the material showed no cytolytic activity and the tests with skin cell cultures demonstrated the biocompatibility.